Safeguarding international schools in Norway: country guide

Most international schools in Norway are approved under the Private Schools Act (Privatskolelova). Others run as town programmes under the new Education Act (Opplæringslova), in force since 1 August 2024.

The Directorate for Education and Training (Udir) and the County Governor supervise schools. Both Acts require a safe and good school setting. Staff must act when a pupil is not safe or well at school.

Many international schools hold IB, CIS, COBIS or NEASC approval. Those frameworks sit alongside Norwegian law and never replace legal duties.

Norwegian law gives every employee in public and private schools a personal duty to report. It sits in section 13-2 of the Child Welfare Act (Barnevernsloven) and in both school Acts.

Staff must tell the local Child Welfare Service without delay when they have reason to believe a child is at risk. When the threshold is met, this duty overrides normal confidentiality.

"Reason to believe" does not mean you need proof. You only need clear signs that give you serious worry for the child. The list below shows the main cases.

• A child faces abuse at home or other serious neglect.
• A child has a serious illness or injury and does not get needed treatment.
• A child with a disability or special need does not get the care they need.
• A child shows severe and lasting behaviour problems, such as repeated crime or drug use.
• A child may be a victim of trafficking, forced marriage or female genital mutilation.

Yes. Udir makes clear that the duty rests on each person who works for the school. Telling the principal or DSL does not end a teacher's own duty.

In practice, the principal or DSL usually helps write and send the concern report through the national portal. Still, the principal cannot overrule a staff member who believes the threshold is met.

If leaders refuse or delay, the staff member must send the report themselves. Read mandatory reporting laws for international schools to design steps that respect personal duties.

Norway uses three emergency numbers: 112 for police, 113 for medical help and 110 for fire. Make sure staff from abroad know all three.

Outside office hours, Alarmtelefonen on 116 111 is the emergency child welfare line. It connects to the local child welfare duty team and the police.

• 112: the Norwegian Police for danger, violence or crime in progress (02800 for other police calls).
• 113: ambulance and urgent medical help.
• 110: fire and rescue.
• 116 111: Alarmtelefonen, a free line and chat for children and worried adults, open all day and night.
• Your local Child Welfare Service and duty team: for formal concern reports.
• Your DSL and principal: tell them the same day, so the school logs the step.

Accreditors such as CIS, COBIS and the IB expect a named DSL, regular training and a clear policy. Many schools also use England's KCSIE as a model (see KCSIE for international schools).

In Norway, your policy must also cover the school setting duty in Chapter 12 of the Education Act. Every employee must watch, step in and tell the principal if a pupil is not safe. If a staff member harms or bullies a pupil, the principal must tell the school board at once.

When a child tells you about violence or sexual abuse by a parent, do not tell the parents first. Tell child welfare and the police. They arrange a careful interview at a Children's House, which protects the child and the evidence.

Under section 17-11 of the Education Act and section 4-3 of the Private Schools Act, every school employee must show a police certificate for work with children before starting.

The school gives the candidate a letter of purpose. The candidate then applies to the police, usually online with BankID or MinID. Anyone with serious sexual crimes against children is barred by law from school work.

A Norwegian certificate only checks Norwegian records, plus some EU records. For staff from abroad, ask for police checks from every country they lived in and call past schools, as covered in safer recruitment for international schools.

Norway is part of the EEA, so the GDPR applies through the Personal Data Act. The national regulator is Datatilsynet.

Confidentiality in Norwegian schools is strict. You may share private pupil facts with child welfare without consent only when the reporting threshold is met. For lower-level concerns, you need valid parent consent.

When a candidate shows a police certificate, note on your SCR that it was checked. Then destroy the certificate itself, as Norwegian rules require. Keep safeguarding logs on strict access and check EEA rules for all software suppliers.

This guide gives general information checked on 10 November 2026. It is not legal advice. Confirm how the school Acts apply to you with a Norwegian lawyer, then complete these steps in your first month.

• Save the report link and duty phone number for each town where your pupils live.
• Name a Norwegian speaker on the team who can write a concern report and talk with child welfare.
• Link your safeguarding policy to your Chapter 12 plan for a safe school setting.
• Train all staff on 112, 113, 110 and Alarmtelefonen 116 111.
• Make sure staff know the duty is personal, and that they must not alert parents first in cases of violence or sexual abuse at home.
• Check your SCR to confirm every employee showed a valid police certificate before starting.